Category: Dinner

Greetings from Maine!

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Hey everyone! Greetings from Maine! I drove up to Maine after teaching my kickboxing class last night. I had to get a sub for my SHRED class since I had a late conference call:( I’ll be honest, though, as much as I missed my SHRED class (always love the chance to get some extra strength training in), it was nice going into my kickboxing class with full energy, perhaps too much energy. It was funny- as I was leaving the gym, I thought about my Wednesday and Thursday classes that I taught this week and I actually said to myself “wow. those were really hard classes. Why do I do that to myself?” Low and behold, I wasn’t the only one feeling that way:

hard class noteDon’t get me wrong, I love teaching a hard class, but sometimes I actually question myself while sucking air and trying to yell at everyone (for some reason, YELLING was my theme this week), “What was I thinking when I created this workout?!”.

In Wednesday’s UXF class, we did weighted burpees, weighted jump squats, monkey curls, crab walks and planks w/triceps extensions, just to name a few. Yes, you read that correctly: weighted burpees and weighted jump squats. They are not fun, I’ll be the first one to say it! (I thought I might have been dying from my treadmill run before class, but after overhearing some convos in the locker room, it definitely wasn’t just me!)

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Needless to say, dinner at Life Alive was a well deserved reward for my hard work this week! Plus, I had a leftover balance on the gift card that my sister got me for Christmas, so it was a no brainer to swing by there before making the trek north!

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011The ride north was fairly smooth, except for the massive amounts of fog as I reached Maine. Luckily, I made it! Mom was even waiting up for me when I got home and had made my bed and turned the sheets down for me- I’m a lucky girl!

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As for today, I am working from Maine and then my mom asked me to go meet her in town for a walk before the teachers weekly Friday night drink gathering at the Back Street Grill. I seriously love meeting up with my mom and her friends on Fridays at the BSG- they are a super fun crowd and the wines are only $3. That’s basically stealing, in my eyes! I was also happy to hear that dad is going to cook his “fish night” for me tonight, too… can’t wait to see what he picks up this week!

Being home is such a treat, especially when my sister isn’t with me;) I like being spoiled!

Questions for you! Have you taken any REALLY hard classes this week? Have you ever been to Life Alive? What do you order if you have been there? What’s your favorite thing about being home?

I Went To A Class! That I Wasn’t Teaching! (And, a UXF Inspired Workout)

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Happy Wednesday! Two posts in one day… how do you feel about that?!

So, last night, I did something I haven’t done in a long, long, LONG time. I went to the gym. For a class. That I wasn’t teaching! Can you believe it? Back before I started teaching, I would go to the Wellington BSC 6 or 7 times a week for classes and for my own workouts. On Tuesday’s, I would go to Mary Beth’s Kickboxing IT class at 6:30. For those of you who have been reading for a while, you know that Tuesdays used to be my go-to rest days since I was teaching Mondays and then Wednesday-Saturday. Now that I don’t teach on Friday’s anymore and am only teaching every other Saturday, it gives me the option to workout on Tuesdays if I want, which is kind of fun… and also why I went to the gym last night. It was SO good to see all of my instructor friends at that gym… boy have I missed it!

006Although Mary Beth’s class is quite different than how I teach, it was really nice being able to workout for ME. I didn’t have to worry about sounding like I was sucking air as I was giving cues and pointers in my mic, I didn’t have to worry about watching everyone and checking form, I didn’t have to worry about remembering the next move. As much as I LOVE teaching, last night was a reminder that I need to get back into the gym to TAKE classes, because I really love that, too.

Post workout, I went home, watered my flowers and made a quick and easy dinner, using leftovers from Sunday’s Cinco de Mayo meal.

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(from Instagram. Are you following me yet?)

All I did was take the leftover “chili” mixture (it thickened up in the fridge) and put it in a honey wheat tortilla (Fiber One- love them!), added some cheese and grilled it up. Quick, easy, delicious.

Workout

Ok, let’s get to that workout that I promised you, ok? As most of you probably know, I teach a UXF Burn class for the Boston Sports Club once a week. As much as I love the workouts, I get bored quickly and need to change-up the format sometimes. While the basis of the workout is consistent with the “Keep It Moving” format, I changed it up in that we kept the 60 second time intervals for the strength portions throughout the whole workout (instead of dropping them down to 45 seconds, 30 seconds, and then 2 tabata rounds).

In the Keep It Moving, the workout is set up in the following format:

1. Lower body

2. Upper body- pull

3. Core

4. Compound Movement- RIGHT

5. Compound Movement- LEFT

6. Upper- push

7. Compound Movement- both right and left together

8. Core

90 Seconds of Cardio

Although, I kept the moves somewhat consistent with how the format is laid out above, I did change it a bit in that I used moves that were not on “the list”… tisk, tisk, I know!

UXF Inspired workout

I had a really hard time trying to explain moves for #’s 3 and 4, so refer to THIS post for a better description, but it sort of looks like this:

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If you have any other questions, please let me know! A couple of members told me that they really liked the exercises I chose for this workout, so try it out and let me know what you think!

Questions for you: Instructor friends- think it’s easier or harder to take a class vs. teach it? Do you like leftovers? Ever taken a UXF Burn class?

Also! Check in tomorrow for a special recap of the April Arms Challenge I participated in last month:)

SOWA Open Market & Cinco de Mayo

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Hi! How are you doing today? Have you ever been to the SOWA Open Market? I had never been until Sunday, but I can tell you that it won’t be my last time, that’s for darn sure!
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Someone sent me an invite on Facebook earlier in the week and ever since then, I had been looking forward to checking it out.  It was a perfect weekend to do it, too, since I stayed in and didn’t have any big plans the whole weekend. Danielle and I got up on Sunday, had breakfast, I blogged while she watched a movie, and then we cleaned the house. By this time, it was 11am and we decided that since it had warmed up, it was a great time to head to the SOWA Open Market. Note to self: next time, do NOT drive. After driving around for a little bit, I did end up finding awesome parking, but it was a bit of a hectic mess prior to that! Well worth it once we arrive in the parking lot full of Food Trucks. Oh my goodness. I was in absolute foodie heaven! So many trucks. So many things to choose from!

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We decided to do a big lap and look at the menu’s at all of the different trucks, cancelling out all Mexican (we had a Mexican meal planned for dinner) and things we could cook or order regularly (burgers, grilled cheese, chicken sandwiches). We wanted a savory crepe, but they were all out of the one we wanted:( Option #2: Greek/Mediterranean food! This whole thing was only $6! What a steal.

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Danielle got us truffle fries to share, too… they were to die for. It was kind of funny eating lunch sitting on the pavement in a big parking lot, but it’s what you do when you’re at the SOWA market, I guess!

After lunch, we walked around the non-food part of the open market, checking out all the different vendors and letting our food digest a bit. All while knowing that we were going BACK to another crepe truck to get a Nutella Crepe. Back when I was studying abroad, I went to Paris and couldn’t get over how amazing Nutella Crepe’s were. Sunday’s crepe was nothing like that, but it was still pretty freaking delicious! Overall, it was such a fun way to spend a beautiful, Sunday afternoon. I foresee many more Sunday afternoons spent in the South End!

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Cinco de Mayo

After walking and eating our way around the SOWA market, we came home and got dinner together. I say “we,” but really it was all Danielle tonight! She found a crock pot Mexican recipe from Iowa Girl Eats that she wanted to make, and she ended up combining it with a recipe from Rachel to create quite the tasty little meal!

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While she got everything together, I made us Skinny Margarita’s.  Well, I tried to make us skinny margs. I found a recipe from Cookie and Kate and had all of the ingredients except for Agave Nectar. In baking recipes, I’ve always seen that you can sub Agave for honey or maple syrup, but let me tell you this now: do NOT sub out Agave for honey in this drink recipe. You will regret it. Needless to say, I had to add lots of sugar and other stuff to try to kill the sourness from the limes; it wasn’t pretty. I only got halfway through mine before I had to switch to a Sam Summer. Oh well, better luck next time!

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Dinner, on the other hand, was delicious! I ended up eating mine in a bowl and used some chips to scoop it up. I could’ve put it in a tortilla, but I am a sucker for chips, so I decided to skip out on the tortilla and use chips instead. Plus, Danielle also made guacamole and I was absolutely eating that with chips!

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Mmm… homemade, fresh guac- holy yum!

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In the end, this crock pot dish almost came out like a chili, but that was certainly not a bad thing. This was full of flavor and texture and totally hit the spot for a Mexican, Cinco de Mayo meal.

Questions for you: Have you ever been to the SOWA Open Market? Do you have a favorite food truck? Do you make your own margarita’s or buy the mix? Favorite Mexican dish?

Run Through Cambridge, Lunch w/Mom & Dad, Gardening, Chicken Parm Burgers

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Hey everyone! Happy Sunday. I woke up thinking that the weather looked so nice, but when I checked my weather.com app (first thing I do every morning!), I was rudely awakened (haha no pun intended, but I’ll take it!). 40 degrees?! It’s MAY. Our thermostat in the apartment read 61 degrees. I’m sorry, but it’s MAY and I am not turning on the heat anymore! Where is the warm weather?!

Anyway, I posted a lot of photo’s yesterday and wanted to fill you in on them today!

Wednesday

I got to Central Square about an hour earlier than I needed to be there, so I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a jog through Cambridge. I say jog, because that’s really all it was for me. I wasn’t in the mood to push myself and track my pace, but rather I was more in the mood to be in the sun and clear my mind. Running with this view certainly helped that!

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001Class was awesome- I incorporated one of the moves that Jen’s posted in her most recent Monday Moves post and everyone loved it! I’ll post the workout later this week- promise!

Friday

My sister had a “live” in Western Mass, so my parents went and stayed with her for the night (yes, this may seem odd, but if you knew my parents you would understand. They love any sort of little adventure, especially when they can be around us.).  Since I had to teach my double on Thursday night, I couldn’t make it to join them, but persuaded them to drive out of their way and come visit me for lunch on Friday!

Mom can’t visit us or we can’t go home without her giving us a little present, and today was no different. They went to the Johnny Appleseed Visitor Center in Lancaster on their way to see me (I know, seems silly, but I love how cute they are when they do stuff like that!) and picked up this cute little plate!

lady bug plateDid you know that the Lady Bug is the Massachusetts state insect? I had no idea, but apparently the little lady running the visitors center shared this info with my parents.

We had a great time catching up, laughing and eating lunch- the BEST work lunch ever! (sorry, JP!)

011Friday night, I went to Olives in Charlestown with my friend Jessi. It was a long overdue, greatly needed girl sesh catch up night. I had never been to Olives before, but I totally loved it. The atmosphere was awesome, the people watching was superb and the food/wine was delicious! We shared a bottle of Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc and the sweet potato appetizer. Hit.The.Spot.

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014Saturday

I woke up and was SO excited that it was my day to teach. I hadn’t been there for 2 weeks and I was really itching to get back.

excited to teachSign of a good class? When a member (yes, you, Macall) asks me what I smoked prior to teaching. haha I love it! Obviously, I didn’t smoke anything, but I love teaching kickboxing and getting super sweaty so when you combine those, it equals a pretty intense class- perfect for a Saturday morning, if you ask me!

After teaching, I picked up my sister and we went to Home Depot to get all of the necessary supplies to get my garden going.

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020All of that shopping really worked up an appetite. Chipotle to the rescue! The burrito bowls there are so big, that it works out great when Danielle and I go together because we can share one (with a side of chips and guac, duhhh).

019For the most part, I think of Chipotle as a relatively healthy “fast food” place to grab lunch. Ok, maybe that was really only backed because I saw so many cross-fitters there and other people who looked like they came straight from the gym. You tell me- healthy or not?

The rest of the day was spent outside in my garden. I am not naturally blessed with a “green thumb,” but I sure do try! My dad, on the other hand, is amazing. He has a super hi-tech green house (temperature sensored so when it gets too hot, the vents open and a fan turns on and if it gets too cold, the vents shut and a space heater turns on. Classical music is played for the plants. yeah, THAT type of green house) and has always started all my veggies and flowers for me, but this year, I decided to do it all on my own. Who knows how it will turn out, but I am hoping for the best!

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026Chicken Parm Burgers

For dinner, we made one of our go-to favorite meals: Healthy Chicken Parmesan Burgers from Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life. Every time we make them, I am reminded of how good they are! here is the recipe from her site:

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1lb. ground chicken
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Extra marinara sauce
  • Hamburger buns

Directions:

Combine first nine ingredients (through dried basil) and mix well. Form into four patties, creating a slight dent in the center of the patty; refrigerate about 30 minutes. Grill over medium-high heat, 6-8 minutes on each side. Top cooked chicken burgers with mozzarella cheese.

If desired, coat insides of hamburger buns with a little spray butter and a sprinkle of garlic powder or Italian seasoning and place on the grill 1-2 minutes, until lightly toasted. Spread marinara sauce on toasted buns and top with cooked chicken burgers. Enjoy!

Ours didn’t look as good as hers, but I can bet that they tasted just as good! We tried them 2 different ways: in a wrap and on an english muffin (we didn’t have any buns so we got creative).  Both were good, but I liked eating it as a sandwich better.

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Yum. Definitely a fun thing to eat on a Saturday night. I made the roasted broccoli by coating the florets with a little bit of EVOO, Sea Salt and Pepper, Garlic Seasoning and Mrs. Dash- we baked them for about 15-20 minutes. Delish!

As for the rest of my Sunday, who  knows! We might head over to the SOWA Open Market, clean the apartment, cook a fun Mexican meal and make margs for Cinco de Mayo!

Questions for you: Chipotle- do you think this is a healthy “fast food” option? Have you ever been to the SOWA Open Market? What are your Cinco de Mayo plans?

Ok, I really need a grill…

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Yeah, I mean, this meal came out SO good, but I think it would have totally topped the charts had I been able to cook it on a grill. Next gym paychecks go to: buying a grill! I don’t know how we survived all of last spring/summer/fall sans a grill, but I know that I won’t be able to do that this year. Maybe I can get my dad to go shopping with me for one (hint, hint).

Anyway, before I get into the details of the meal I made on Tuesday night, let’s chat about how much I have learned to LOVE Tuesday’s. Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching so much and love my current schedule of Monday’s, Wednesday’s, Thursday’s (double) and every other Saturday, but there is really nothing like the feeling I have all day on Tuesday knowing that I can go home right after work.  I also like that I have the option of working out or taking a rest day, pending on what I have going on after work, what my week of workouts looks like, and how I am feeling physically. The nice weather makes me want to work out more (ie: go running, walking, anything outside), so on Tuesday I got home relatively early (6:15- that never happens) and decided that I could squeeze in a quick 30 minute workout, focusing mostly on strength and core. 32 minutes later, I was done, ready for a shower, glass of wine and a meal I had planned out in my head since Sunday, so let’s get to it, right?!

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We New Englanders are finally experiencing the spring weather we have been waiting for since, oh, the past couple of months.  Along with the warmer, sunnier weather comes my craving for all things associated with grilling and BBQ’ing, so I decided to take one of my favorite grilling meals and make it in my oven.  And, you know what? It came out WAY better than I had hoped it would. I marinated the chicken overnight and I cannot describe in words how flavorful it was.  The shrimp was just OK, but the veggies, especially the mushrooms, more than made up for it. And, what’s not to love about corn on the cob and baked sweet potatoes?!

Chicken, Shrimp & Veggie Kabobs

For the chicken marinade:

  • 4 chicken breast tenders
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • ~1/4-1/3 cup white wine
  • ~1 tsp. ground pepper
  • ~1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • Few heavy shakes of Mrs. Dash

Veggies:

I cut up peppers, onion, zucchini, summer squash and mushrooms.  I didn’t measure, but I eye-balled about how many I thought I would need to make the skewers figuring there was really no right or wrong with how many I used.

Directions

1. Create the lemon-pepper marinade the night before and let the chicken sit in it for about 24 hours to get that really delicious lemon-pepper taste.

0292. The next day, when you’re ready to make the meal, pour yourself a glass of vino, get your apron on, and get to work!

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3. Pre-heat your oven to 375*, wrap your sweet potato in aluminum foil and place it in the oven right on the metal racks.

4. Cut up your veggies and chicken and arrange everything so you can easily skewer however you desire.

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031I created my kabobs by alternating veggies and chicken on some, veggies and shrimp on some and then for the leftover chicken, I just put all of the pieces on one skewer. I sprinkled on a little more pepper, sea salt, garlic powder and Mrs. Dash once the skewers were created.

5. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes (watch closely because you could need more or less time depending on how you cut your veggies and chicken). While the kabobs are cooking, steam your corn.  I also had to finish off my baked potato in the microwave since I didn’t start it early enough.

032When everything is done, place on a plate, add some butter to your corn and sweet potato (yes, this is a must) and enjoy!

035Look at those colors!! My mouth was so happy as it tasted all of the different flavors in this dish, especially the chicken. Wow, was that good! I am so excited for leftovers and think I will probably put the kabobs on a salad for a work lunch this week.

Questions for you:Do you have a grill? Suggestions for a good, affordable, no-frills grill? What’s your favorite summer meal?